Dragon Rising
by IceAger
Summary: The twins stumble across a new mystery in Gravity Falls, testing just how much they really know about the ones they hold closest. Everything changes when Dipper stumbles across a confused girl in the forest. Just how much can this girl change in the twins life? (Bad summary, I know...)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! So this is my first Gravity Falls story and the idea for it has been bubbling in my pea sized brain for a while. Hope you like!**

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Dipper and Mabel were sleeping when it happened. By 'it' I mean the start to an adventure that would show the Pine Twins that they really couldn't trust the people they held closest in Gravity Falls. It had just struck midnight when a soft glow appeared from under Dipper's pillow, spreading out into the room in spirals.

"Mabel, turn off the lights..." Dipper murmured as he rubbed his eyes. When his vision came clear he realized that the lights were indeed off and Mabel was snoring loudly in her bed. As he sat up, Dipper pulled away his pillow in confusion and saw the journal. His journal. Surrounding it, a deep gold glow that was growing bigger by the moment.

Panicking, Dipper was about to open the book when it opened its self. Dipper scrambled backwards on his bed and watched as the journal flip pages silently. As he drew closer, Dipper saw the journal stop dead and at the top of the page was written _'Dragons' _in scrawny, over sized letters. Bringing the book on his lap, Dipper read the page where the glow was coming from.

_'Dragons_

_I fear my life and the lives of many Dragons are in danger. The Dragon Chase is back and she's searching for the Hidden Treasure of the Dragons. To find it she'll need to get hold of the Chanda Dragon- The Moon Dragon. She's escaped the Dragon Chase's grasp once but it won't happen again. According to my research, the Chanda Dragon is cable of so much more than I first thought and seems to be immortal. If only we could keep the girl safe! I cannot write more on this subject for if I do, I could put others in more danger. Here is everything I've learned on the Dragon species:_

_Much like fairy tales, Dragons do breath fire and have a greed for treasure. The Dragons of Gravity Falls stay hidden within the mountains and haven't been seen by any human but me for millions of years. Their scaly skin keeps out the cold and the warmth so if you get lucky enough to touch one, you'll only feel a empty shiver in your body. Once in a blue moon (literally) a Chanda Dragon is born. It appears they are half dragon and have the appearance of a human._

_I have met with the Wali __Dragon (Translation: The Protector Dragon) and he trusts me enough to tell me the secret of old. The ancient secret is-'_

Hastily, Dipper turned the page. Nothing. His brows furrowed together as he turned through the pages looking for a missed page but still nothing. As he studied the last sentence carefully, Dipper noticed that it looked as if a pen was yanked from the writers hand. A few blobs of ink stained the page, leaving Dipper even more confused. A shiver was sent down his back as the book slammed shut on its own, the golden glow disappearing. Holding the journal close to his chest, Dipper slid off his bed and gently shook Mabel awake.

"Dipper?" Mabel yawned as she sat up.

"Mabel, you need to see this." Dipper opened the book to the page of Dragons and shoved the journal to Mabel. The young girl read through the page slowly, eventually blinking up at her brother. The silence was unbearable.

"Mabel don't you see?" Dipper sighed. "I've been through this book millions of times and I've never ever seen this page. Something must have changed in Gravity Falls."

"Something to do with Dragons..." Mabel pondered.

"Something to do with Dragons..." Dipper repeated.

The twins brainstormed aloud for a few minutes of where they could begin on their new mystery but eventually gave up and went back to their beds. The rest of the night was filled with silence as a watchful eye cursed under their breath, planning how to get rid of this 'minor' disturbance in her plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I hope you liked last chapter! I know it was short and stuff but I don't have much spare time. (In other words, I just can't be bothered to update stories or work on chapter length/detail...) **

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When the next morning arrived, the last thing on either of the twin's minds were the new mystery they had stumbled across. Stan had given Mabel cleanup duty since customers had started complaining about all of the vermin crawling around the shack. And Dipper had to go hang more signs in the forest as punishment for his "Lack of appreciation for his handsome and genius gruncle" as Stan had put it. Though he was slightly annoyed, Dipper didn't mind his punishment as much as he should had. After all, it was how we found the journal. As he nailed one of the signs to a tree, Dipper felt like he was being watched. Turning around though, the forest looked as normal as ever.

Dipper muttered to himself as he continued to nail signs to trees, every now and then throwing a glance behind him. As he was looking behind him for one last time before he was going to head back to the shack, Dipper caught sight of something slip behind a tree. Normally, Dipper would have gone to investigate but this time he had a very bad feeling about it. So instead, he ran.

The faster the young boy ran, the louder were the thudding footsteps that appeared to be following him. Dipper swatted tree branches as he ran but some still marked his face with scratches and bruises. After daring a glance behind him, Dipper lost his footing and fell. He quickly scrambled to his feet, barely catching his breath before he was running again.

As he sped up, Dipper was sure he heard a low, desperate growl behind him. Despite himself, he risked another glance behind him. All to be seen was the silent taunting of the forest trees. Breathing deeply, Dipper stopped running and stood quietly in confusion. Without realizing it, Dipper was actually taking small steps backwards and was frowning deeply. One small step... two small steps... three small steps...

"AGHH!" Dipper screamed as he bumped into something. Falling to the ground, Dipper crawled backwards hastily taking in the sight before him.

A girl. A young and, from some angles, a beautiful girl. She looked just as frightened as Dipper, making her pale skin even paler. The girl's large, dark eyes were filled with thousands of emotions, all clouding over each other. Her black, waist length hair was tangled in hopeless knots but despite it she was stunning...

"Who... who are you?" Dipper panted as he got to his feet. The reply was never spoken as the strange girl cowered to the ground. Dipper slowly stepped towards her, not sure whether reaching out to her would help or not. Suddenly, the stranger's head peeked up at Dipper, her words barely a whisper.

"You... can't... I won't... Never!"

"Shhh... It's alright. I, uh, I'm your friend."

"Friend?" The word escaped the girls's lips with a gasp. As got back to her feet, Dipper watched her mysterious eyes search him.

"I'm Dipper. What's your name?" Dipper held out his hand, wondering if the girl shake it.

"Dipper... My name is... is... Coal. Yes, you will call me Coal." The two new friends shook hands and an instant shiver went through Dipper's body. Not a shiver of coldness, though. This shiver was something much deeper, pulling Dipper into a quick state of confusion.

"So, um, Coal..." Dipper said, pulling himself together. "What was you doing out here?"

Coal stared at him for a moment, her eyes meeting him. With a sigh she shook her head. "It is late. You should go."

"Late? It's not late." Dipper scoffed, looking up at the sky. But indeed it was late. The sky had turned dark, and stars were appearing one by one.

"We must hurry before _She _finds us." Coal glanced around nervously before grabbing Dipper's hand and leading him out the forest.

"Coal, did you make it night?" Dipper asked curiously as Coal pulled him along.

Without warning, Coal stopped dead in her tracks, making Dipper stop too. She looked at him with such emotion that it made Dipper look away uncomfortably.

After a few moments, Coal spoke in a soft and almost dreamy voice. "I am secret. I am danger. I am not as it seems. But most of all, I am lost."

Dipper stared at Coal and for the first time, he noticed her. Of course he always noticed her, how couldn't he? But now he noticed the tiny details of Coal. She wasn't the same age as him, as he first though. Now she seemed slightly older, almost 14 perhaps? And Dipper also noticed how every few seconds she looked around nervously, as if expecting to be pounced upon. All the tiny details of his new friend began to come together in a matter of seconds.

"Coal?" Dipper asked slowly. Coal's eyes flickered up at him, curiosity overwhelming her.

"Yes Dipper?"

"Who are you really?"

And for the first time, a smile appeared upon Coal's face. A small but powerful smile.

"I am your friend."


	3. Chapter 3

**...**

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As Dipper and Coal walked through the woods in silence, an uneasy thought crossed Dipper's mind. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth to speak but then shut it. Sparing a glance at Coal, who had hold of Dipper firmly by the wrist, he could see she was deep in thought. A sigh escaped Dipper and though it was only a small Coal picked up on it straight away.

"Are you alright Dipper?" Coal asked sincerely.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Dipper looked up at Coal for a moment before deciding to ask her a question that had been burbling in him for a while. "Coal, what was you doing out in the forest? You don't... live there do you?" The idea sounded ridiculous to Dipper but Gravity Falls was a strange place.

Coal bit her lip before answering, slowly. "I don't really have a home. I live where ever I wish to."

"You could stay at the mystery shack. I'm sure I could work something out with Stan." As soon as he had said the words, Dipper regretted them.

"Really?" Coal perked up.

"Uh, yeah! I mean, why couldn't you when I just said you could?" Dipper had started sweating nervously at the thought that Stan might just reject Coal and leave the both of them embarrassed.

"Thank you Dipper! It'll be nice to sleep on a pillow and not a rock." Coal smiled warmly at Dipper, making his heart flutter. As he was about to reply, Coal perked her head up and frowned. "This is it, isn't it? The Mystery Shack?" Dipper looked up at the Shack, suddenly wondering how long they'd been.

"This is it. Not much to look at is it?"

"No, no! It's wonderful but..."

"But?"

"But it's not very... mystery-ish."

Dipper let out a laugh and shook his head playfully. He led Coal inside but was soon tackled to the floor by Mabel as soon as he made it into the hallway.

"Dipper! Where were you? You're missing movie night!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Movie night?" Dipper got back to his feet. "What movie night?"

"Movie night! Wendy and Soos are here. We were watching Dr. Hamham: Return of the Tree Pigs." Mabel grinned before looking up at Coal. "Who's your friend? Or should I say girlfriend?" Mabel nudged her twin with her elbow, making 'eh, eh' sounds.

Dipper swatted Mabel away, a slight groaning sound escaping him. "Mabel, this is Coal. My new friend."

Coal nodded her head politely at Mabel, a small smile on her face. "Hello Mabel."

"Hi Coal! I'm Mabel, the fun twin!" Mabel grabbed both her brother's and Coal's wrists and dragged them to the living room and made them sit. Soos, Waddles and Wendy were already in the room sitting round the TV.

"Everybody," Mabel announced. "This is Coal."

The group murmured their 'hellos' and 'heys' before turning back to the to the TV. Everyone but Coal was bursting out in laughs every few seconds at the ridiculous hamster dressed in a lab coat and talking in a fake, Russian accent. The 'Tree Pigs' were just as bad. They were large and had wild cartoon hair sticking out all over the place. Apparently, Waddles had something like a crush on the Tree Pig Princess.

Coal stared blankly at the screen, not quite understanding the movie. For one thing, believe it or not, she had never seen a hamster. She also didn't quite understand how he could talk. Every now and then she'd ask a question such as, "Why do the Tree Pigs live in the trees? Pigs live on the ground." Or, "Why does this pig Princess betray her pig people for love?" Dipper explained that it was a movie and none of it was real and that tons of movies mixed love into the plot to make the characters more interesting. For every question Coal asked, Wendy would roll her eyes but seem more interested in the strange girl.

When the movie came to an end, Soos had tears in his eyes and cried into his shirt. Mabel was squishing up Waddles face and teasing him for his 'crush' on the Pig Princess. Wendy and Dipper were chatting together and, occasionally, laughing too. Coal sat quietly and collected her thoughts together till Stan came tumbling into the room.

"That's it!" He yelled, his eyes landing on Soos. "Stop using my back back scratcher!" Soos' eyes followed the back scratcher that Stan was waving in the air. It had large clumps of hair all over.

Soos coughed deliberately before hurridly making his way to the door. "Yeah, well, I think I'll be going now dudes..."

Stan groaned as he heard the door shut and Soos leave. His eyes suddenly fell upon Coal. "Uh, do I know you?" He asked, his voice gruff.

"Grunkle Stan, this is Coal. I was wondering if, maybe, she could..." Dipper's voice faded into silence.

"I could stay here for a while." Came the quiet voice of Coal. Her large, dark eyes looked up at Stan, holding his gaze for half a moment before he looked away. There was a short pause.

"No."

Silently, Coal stood up to face Stan. Her hand slipped into her pocket and brought out a wad of green notes. Stan's eyes widened at the sight of so much money and he reached out to take the notes. Coal shook her head and held the notes closer to her. Stan raised a eyebrow and held out his hand. Coal split the notes into two piles, handing one to Stan but returning the other to her pocket.

"That much for letting me stay now," She began softly. "And the rest is for after. Deal?"

A smile spread across Stan's face as he gladly accepted this offer. Before leaving the room, he glanced over at Dipper. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight... And every other night while your friend stay here." For a moment Dipper felt a some anger towards Stan but then he realized it could have been a lot worse. He smiled over at Coal, who happily returned the smile.

"Where did you get all that money?" Wendy's mouth hung wide open and Dipper realized that was more money she'd ever earn while working at the Mystery Shack. Coal bit her lip slightly and looked down, not meeting anyone's eye. "Did you steal it?"

"I'm no thief." Coal said shortly after taking in the question.

"But how-"

"Leave it." Coal's eyes met Wendy's as something the twins didn't understand passed between the two teen girls.

"Umm, why don't you tell us about you're family?" Dipper asked, doing his best to change the subject.

"Yes, tell us all about your family. Every. Last. Detail." Wendy's voice dripped with bitterness. Dipper swore he saw a sad emotion pass through Coal's large eyes.

"I have a sister."

"A sister? I wish Dipper was a girl!" Mabel grinned, poking Dipper. Everyone was now sat on the floor in a circle, Coal next to Mabel, Mabel next to Wendy, Wendy next to Dipper and Dipper next to Coal.

"Not cool, Mabel." Dipper rolled his eyes.

"Tell us about your sister." Wendy said.

"She is 17 now. Her name is Onyx and she... she..." Coal frowned as if trying to remember. "I don't know. I haven't been home for a long, long time. But I do miss her very much." Coal wiped her eyes before tears could escape.

"Keep telling us about her. Were you close?" Wendy asked quickly, apparently not picking up on Coal's sadness.

"Yes, very close." Coal's lip quivered as she stared at the floor.

"I don't think she cared too much for you though," Wendy stared in a oblivious way. "Otherwise, she'd not let you just leave her."

"I...I..." Quickly, Coal stood up and ran out the room sniffling. The twins stared as they heard Coal dodge into the kitchen then both turning their heads to Wendy.

"You made her cry." Mabel blinked at Wendy, mostly in surprisment.

"Maybe I should talk to her," Wendy said as she got up.

"I'll handle this. I know how to make people smile." Mabel grinned as she left the room.

There was a echoing silence once Mabel left. Dipper couldn't bare to meet Wendy's eye. Though this silence was short, Dipper replayed what had happened over and over in his head before Wendy said she should be going. Dipper waved her off and said he'd see her tomorrow. Wendy waved back as she rode off on her bike but Dipper was sure the smile plastered on her face was quite fake.

When Dipper returned inside, Mabel had assured him that Coal was smiling again and had decided to get an early night. For a while, the Mabel watched TV as Dipper flicked through his journal in utter silence. When the clock struck 9:30pm, Mabel headed off to bed and Dipper did his best to get cozy on the couch. Again, the events of the day replayed in his mind. Meeting Coal in the forest, becoming some-what friends with her, letting her stay at the Shack and then everything happened with Wendy.

Wendy was never so oblivious before, was she? Surely, she could tell how sad she was making Coal, couldn't she? Why did she keep on pushing it with her? And the unspoken words that passed between them when Wendy asked if Coal was a thief. They seemed to have almost recognized each other. But that wasn't right. How could they? The fact that Wendy was being so... mean? No that wasn't the right word. The fact that Wendy was being so 'harsh' on Coal was very strange. Wendy had made Coal cry. The more Dipper though it over, the more he realized that Wendy hadn't made Coal cry at all. But it was definitely her intention. Yet Coal wouldn't cry, no matter how sad she was. Funnily enough, Dipper decided Wendy didn't make try to make Coal cry out of meanness, but something else. Something would happen if Coal cried.

Something became very clear to Dipper: He would have to make Coal cry himself.


End file.
